CTS is excited to welcome keynote speaker Max Strassfeld for the 2025 Castañeda-Jennings Lecture:
“Transing the Talmud in Times of Crisis”.
Tuesday, July 8th, at 7:00 PM.
In these times of extreme political crisis, characterized by rising fascism, white supremacy, and anti-trans animus, why turn to rabbinic literature? Within the current context, how is the history of gender variance in Judaism useful?
This talk will examine the politics of transing classical Jewish sources, including a discussion of the many sexed categories that are discussed throughout this literature. While these categories are not straightforwardly trans or intersex, our desire to see ourselves in history is both real and urgent in these political times. And yet, we can interrogate this demand for a “useful” past, in order to consider what a non-useful history, or a resistant transing, might produce in its stead.
About the Speaker:
Max Strassfeld is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies. Their research focuses on rabbinic literature, transgender studies, and Jewish studies. They hold a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University. Strassfeld’s book, Trans Talmud: Androgynes and Eunuchs in Rabbinic Literature, was published in 2022 by the University of California Press. The book was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and won the American Academy of Religion’s award for excellence in the category of textual studies.